Renault Clio F1 Team R27 2.0 Review: Bow-wowing

As you can see, I can't seem to banter or chaff any sort of fault at all with the R27 (subjectively, it could just be me).

But then again with the R27, Renault has truly come up with a near-perfect hot-hatch. It can't be perfect yet though, as there are some little nitty-gritty issues with (a) the plastic used for the interior, (b) the missing rear roof spoiler that I'm pretty sure will improve its looks further, and (c) the lack of sound insulation around the cabin.

If you think the bare interior doesn’t justify the $110k asking price one bit, think of it this way – you’re paying for a car that is technically marvellous. It handles like (I’ll say it again) something out of this world, a marriage made in heaven when you’re talking about the engine and gears, and overall, offers a driving experience you’ll find rare to match in this day and age. Not only that, its cabin is practically useful too.

But it has something to threaten its market presence here though – in the form of Honda's Civic Type-R.

True, the Honda Civic Type-R provides an almost similar driving experience, its screaming i-VTEC engine is something to shout about, plus the $6k difference is a significant sum. But what it cannot match with the R27 is road presence - and somehow with its better-proportioned dimensions, the R27 seems to provide driving antics that are just more fun.

This is one car I won’t have any qualms about buying if I do have that much cash to spare on a hot-hatch. Heck, it’s also tempting me to leave the world of auto boxes, and return to becoming a manual-changing purist.

I'm sold. Enough said.

Credits: Story & pictures by Azfar Hashim